Worthy of imitation

Several years ago, basketball player Charles Barkley created no small amount of controversy when he said,

"I am not paid to be a role model. I am paid to wreak havoc on a basketball court. Parents should be role models. Just because I can dunk a basketball, that doesn't mean I should raise your kids…"

He is wrong on the first part of his statement — whether he, or any other person in public view, is willing to acknowledge it or not, he is a role model. But his second premise is absolutely correct — parents should be role models.

This is why Solomon says to his son, "A righteous man who walks in his integrity — How blessed are his sons after him" (Prov. 20:7). A son who has a father who lives a life of integrity and authentic Biblical faith is blessed indeed, for he has someone worthy of following. He reaps the blessing and joy of having a godly father who shepherds and nurtures him (instead of a cruel father who antagonizes him and provokes him to anger), and he reaps God's blessing as he learns to live his own life of righteousness.

This is not the only encouragement to live an exemplary life — a life worthy of imitation. For instance, it is remarkable how often Paul and the other New Testament writers say, "Follow me." (E.g., see 1 Cor. 4:16; 11:1; Eph. 5:1; Phil. 3:17; 4:9; Col. 1:3-4, 7; 1 Thess. 1:6; 2:14; 2 Thess. 3:7, 9; 2 Tim. 3:14-15; Heb. 6:12; 13:7; 3 John 11.) The calling of these verses emphasize that it is possible to live a life worth emulating (God only calls and requires of a believer that which He also equips him to do), and that it is also the calling of the believer to live an exemplary life (one of the words that is often used in these passages is the word group from which we get our word, "mimic").

Paul, as a spiritual father to various churches and individuals was unafraid to say, "Follow me. You can imitate my faith. You should imitate my faith as much as I am following Christ." And this is essentially what Jesus called Peter to do in Jn. 21 when He told Peter to “shepherd my sheep.” With that statement, he means, "lead my sheep in such a way that they will follow you to me.”

This is the calling of every parent — to live in such a way that our faith is worthy of imitation and to intentionally put our children in situations so that they can see a vibrant faith in us and that they are stimulated to love and good deeds. As you consider your relationship with your children (both infant and adult) or those who are your spiritual children, or those who just happen to watch your life, are you living in such a way that anything you do is worthy of imitation?